Previous
Personification
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Book 1
Explanation and Analysis—Religious Authority:
In Book One, Raphael relates a past conversation he had with Cardinal John Morton, a friar, and several others. In the course of this conversation, More—speaking through the voice of Raphael—provides satirical commentary on the hypocrisy of religious authorities. The friar is easily offended when the fool calls him a "vagrant":
"[The friar] called [the fool] an idle wretch, a slanderer, a stirrer of discord and a son of perdition, invoking the most blood-chilling threats from sacred scripture."
It is both ironic and hypocritical that a religious authority, so offended by a playful insult, would respond by hurling vitriol and abuse at his perceived tormentor. In a novel so fixated on exposing the perpetrators of social inequity, it would be remiss of More to not address the clergy. Both kings and the clergy are political figures; even so, the clergy are often afforded a certain amount of amnesty. Because religious figures are meant to be the moral figureheads of a society, to criticize them is to challenge God himself. Though religious leaders are not immune to corruption—frequently siphoning resources from their parishioners instead of working to support them—they are often portrayed as morally pure, taking action only according to God's wishes. More satirizes this unquestioned authority through the figure of the friar, calling to attention the hypocrisy of his entire class.
Related Themes:
